Oil pollution of the sea on Kosmos-1870 and Almaz-1 radar imagery

Radar images recording pollution of the sea surface by oil and surface-acti ve materials, obtained by the Kosmos-1870 and Almaz-1 synthetic aperture ra dar are presented and analysed. A classification of the radar images using visual features is given. The possibilities for using the 9.6 cm synthetic aperture radar to monitor surface pollution, and the conditions for detecti on and identification of the latter are discussed. The advantages and limit ations of the synthetic aperture radar for monitoring film-type pollution o f the sea are indicated.